Ed Lee certainly isn’t stupid but he commits gaffes with regularity, so it’s not a bad strategy to go full Rose Garden* until Election Day. Why should he show up to podunk debates? You know, where all he can do is lose.

Here’s the pre-game, with lots of debate about artificial soccer fields, or “playfields,” depending upon your worldview. It’s point-counterpoint!

First, from the pro artificial turf people and the anti, after the jump.

“Dear Friends of City Fields:

Apologies for the mass email but time is of the essence. Last night at a mayoral forum, opponents to the Beach Chalet athletic field renovations came out in full force – and filled with misinformation. They tried to pressure the candidates for mayor to oppose the field improvements that increase playtime by 9,582 hours a year. At the next forum, we need to match their presence with our positive message, and make sure the candidates for Mayor know that there are thousands upon thousands of San Franciscans who support playfield improvements.

We need you to join us at the next mayoral debate in the Richmond on Monday, Sept. 19 to counter the naysayers with a positive voice for the project. Now is the time to help! Please join us for refreshments and appetizers before the meeting so we can gather together as one community and discuss our strategy, so we can fully demonstrate the great support for Beach Chalet.

After discussing our plan, we will all walk over to the debate – at the Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Avenue between California and Clement Streets – to provide a counter presence before the debate begins at 6:30pm. Please come with questions prepared and ready to submit about playfields, Beach Chalet, and keeping families in San Francisco. We must call out the problem that San Francisco does not have enough playfields to meet the current demand, and find out what candidates plan to do about it.

Please, spread this message to your friends, teammates, coaches, teachers, coworkers, family – post on your Facebook page, forward this email, and make a few phone calls. If we can each bring two or three people with us, imagine the impact we can make. If you are a member or parent of a team, be sure to wear your uniform so we can easily be recognized as one unified athletic community!

“On Tuesday, May 4th, local residents of San Francisco will hold a community forum hosted by MoveOn.org at the San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium, 6:00 PM. Speakers like politician Matt Gonzalez, author/editor Rabbi Michael Lerner, and activist and lawyer Peter Gabel will help bring together local citizens and activists concerned about the influence of big corporations and lobbyists in Washington.”

Local Forum to Tackle Problem of Corporations and Lobbyists. San Francisco residents gather to discuss how to make Washington work for regular San Franciscans, not the top two percent of corporate lobbyists and CEOs

On Tuesday, May 4th, local residents of San Francisco will hold a community forum hosted by MoveOn.org at the San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium, 6:00pm. Speakers like politician Matt Gonzalez, author/editor Rabbi Michael Lerner, and activist and lawyer Peter Gabel will help bring together local citizens and activists concerned about the influence of big corporations and lobbyists in Washington. Attendees will then discuss what can be done to rein in the growing influence of big corporations and lobbyists in our democracy.

“Our economy is in crisis, and people here in San Francisco are struggling. Meanwhile big corporations and CEOs continue to spend hundreds of millions lobbying to advance their own interests at the expense of the public,” said Christophe Schuhmann, a local MoveOn member. “We’re here today to talk about how we can make our democracy work for the 98 percent of us who don’t have high-paid lobbyists representing us in Washington.”

MoveOn.org Political Action is a political action committee powered by 5 million progressive Americans. We believe in the power of small donors and grassroots action to elect progressive leaders to office and to advance a progressive agenda. We do not accept any donations over $5,000, and the average donation to MoveOn.org Political Action is under $100.